


The Art of Hand Holding

by Alcemistnv



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-14
Updated: 2014-11-08
Packaged: 2018-02-21 04:36:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2454953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alcemistnv/pseuds/Alcemistnv
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kagami and Kuroko build a relationship. The base? The joining of hands. How a simple exchange could cause each of them to fall in love with each other was amazing. And neither one wanted to stop. Primarily Kagami and Kuroko with a hint at other pairings in the future.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Milkshake

**Author's Note:**

> Story came from my account on FF, so if it looks similar that's why.
> 
> Story will be primarily G, but it's given T in cases where language might become stronger as well as various other situations.

It was just a normal day at Seirin. Normal classes. Normal conversations. Normal basketball practice.

Except, there was one thing setting off the balance: Kagami was silent. Sitting on the bench alone, he didn't make a sound.

It wasn't the angry quiet, or the stressed quiet, but a confused quiet. His face was contorted in a weird angle as he thought, long and hard. And every time someone asked him "why are you making that face?" he'd simply shrug it off. But only he knew why he was making said face. He was perplexed by something that had been entering his thoughts every now and then: Kuroko.

The younger boy was invisible, but not in Kagami's thoughts. The blue hair. The piercing blue eyes. That faint smile that played on his lips when they were together.

Kagami sighed and placed his head in an open palm. He didn't love the boy. No, that was jumping the gun. Liking Kuroko? Possibly. But it's not to say that it could just be a passing phase. Kagami could remember when he couldn't get a girl in his class out of his vision for weeks. Everything she did, he was ensnared in. He swore it was love. He might've told a few people that she was going to be his wife. But a few weeks went by, and she suddenly just became a normal girl. And then Kagami would find another girl who he thought he was in love with, but it would just be his own mind playing tricks on him.

But Kuroko was much different. Never during his life had he questioned his feelings towards the same sex. It wasn't a matter of Kuroko being "small" or "feminine." It was a matter of personality that Kagami was drawn to. Kuroko was one hundred percent sure of what he was going to do in his life (or, at the moment at least). It was the same in all those girls whom he liked. Each of them knew what they wanted to do, whether it was becoming a teacher or a hairdresser, they knew.

Was it the confidence? The determination? The drive to succeed?

They all had it, so was that what Kagami was attracted to? So, gender didn't matter? Or was it just Kuroko that made it different. Was it that Kuroko was the only male who exuded that same confidence he wanted? Why Kuroko?

"Ughhhh, this is more difficult than I thought." Kagami sighed again. He leaned back on the bench, stretching his arms out. He felt his hand hit against something, so he looked up and was met with familiar blue eyes. "Oi, it's you."

Kuroko looked down and placed a sandwich in Kagami's hand. "I heard your stomach growling from across the court so I bought you something until we went to Maji." He sat down next to the red head, keeping his eyes on the team playing their game.

"Thanks…I guess. How much was it? I'll pay you back-" Kagami reached into his wallet.

"Milkshake."

"Hm?"

"I would like a milkshake…please." Kuroko looked up and nudged Kagami's wallet away. "That is all I want." Kagami nodded in approval and ate the sandwich. He watched the team play as well (it was different watching it from the bench), and he sighed for the third time in five minutes. "Why aren't you playing?"

"Hm? Oh, it's because I figured there was no reason to play if my head wasn't in the game. I have a lot of thoughts running through my head and I can't shoot like that. What about you?"

"I was in for the first quarter, but I guess without you there, I slacked off. Coach kicked me off and told me to go take a walk to calm down, or something."

"Oh." Kagami looked down at the sandwich and then back at Kuroko, who at that moment was looking at him. There was no awkwardness, no blushing, no fumbling around. They merely looked at each other for a few seconds before returning to the court. Kagami took a last bite from his sandwich and tossed the rolled up paper into a nearby trash bin. Kuroko scooted across the bench, closer to Kagami and reached for the red head's hand.

There was no resistance. The larger hand fondly welcomed the smaller as it enclosed around the thin fingers. Neither one of them moved anymore or said anything. Their hands rested on the table, entwined in each other. Kagami let a small smile dance on his face as Kuroko did the same.

"Hey! You said you were going to treat us all burgers, Hyuga!" Riko yelled, stomping her foot as an extra bonus.

"Alright, alright, we'll go. Kagami-" Hyuga turned and saw Kagami and Kuroko in the process of leaving the locker room, hand in hand. "ehhh….are you coming?"

"Sure, but don't worry about paying for me. I'd probably make you go broke with the amount of food I'll order. " Kagami spoke over his shoulder, cell phone in hand. "It's already getting late so we should hury."

At Maji, everyone ordered the burgers they had been dying to get. Luckily, Kuroko had some coupons stashed in his coat so some of the team members are for free. After being thanked many times, Kuroko walked casually over to his "normal" table. Kagami was already sitting in his seat, a pile of hamburgers in front of him. "Oh, this is for you." A vanilla shake was pushed towards Kuroko. "I believe you asked for one."

"Oh, yes. Thank you Kagami-kun." Kuroko bent the straw a bit before taking the first sip. It tasted better than normal. He knew it wasn't possible- it tasted the same every time he had gotten it. Maybe it was because he was in a good mood that the food suddenly tasted better. Maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him. Maybe…

"Hey, you okay? You're spacing out more than usual on me." Kagami rolled up another burger paper and lightly tossed it at Kuroko's head. It bounced off with little sound, and the blue head woke up from his daze.

"I'm sorry Kagami-kun. I was just thinking." He looked out the window and stared at his reflection. Eventually, his eyes moved ever so slightly and he found himself staring at Kagami's reflection. The hot headedness. The attitude. The never ending desire to be good at something. It was like looking at Aomine, except in a different body. But that was different. Aomine was the past. Kagami was the future. He was his new light. His new…light.

After everyone had filled up, they decided to leave the restaurant and head home. Everyone else seemed excited to finally be back outside, their voices filled the night air. For once, Kagami was quiet, lips pursed together in contemplation. He had subconsciously reached for Kuroko's hand again, and the two were joined once again.

This time, there were onlookers.

"Ahhhhhh! Look at you too! Being all cute and such!" Riko yelled, her "kawaii meter" going off. Kagami looked back, a comical enraged expression across his face. "I didn't know you two were like that."

"Like what?!" He yelled back. All the while, he tighted his grip on the other hand.

"You're holding hands. That's usually what two people do who are in a re-la-tion-ship." Riko stated matter-of-factly.

"Re..lation…ship..?" Kagami stood dumb founded. Kuroko sighed. Wow, he had a lot to learn already.


	2. Popcorn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh Kagami, so young and innocent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Made minor edits to the original text

Kagami laid on his bed, eyes closed and arm over his face, blocking out the light from the lamp. His mind had been fuzzy since being at Maji burger. What Riko said was still echoing through his head. It bounced around as if his mind was nothing but a cave wall, he was trapped inside, and Riko's voice was the echo bouncing around. Sometimes he'd see some sort of light in the darkness of the cave, but when he tried to reach it, he felt himself getting lost more and more in his confusion. He growled in frustration and sat up. He angled himself so he was able to see his phone, and sure enough, the light was blinking which notified him of a text message. He turned the screen on and a little box popped up.

 **You have 1 new message!**  
From: Kuroko  
Good evening Kagami-kun. You seemed off after we left Maji today. If you're not okay, please contact me. I'm worried.

Kagami huffed and hit the reply button. He quickly typed "I'm fine," before pressing the send button. He returned it to the desk and held his hand out in front of him. The same hand that Kuroko had been holding earlier. The same hand that had Riko thinking they were in a relationship. But why did that constitute them as being together? Couldn't two friends just hold hands? Why was it that the joining of their hands was so significant?

Brrrrr

He reached over and picked up his phone.

 **You have 1 new message!**  
From: Kuroko  
Okay. I'm sorry.

Sorry? What was there to be sorry about?

_Reply: Why are you apologizing? You did nothing wrong. If anything, it was probably my fault._

SEND.

Wait, what was he saying? "It was my fault?" What was even going on that either of them were apologizing? Kagami could have sworn he was holding the phone tighter than he normally would. He wasn't close to breaking it, but he definitely had a grip on it.

It was Kuroko. It was always him.

No, Kagami definitely didn't blush when the blue head walked by nor did his heart skip a beat. He didn't mess up his speech nor did his mind run with dirty thoughts. It was just, everything was the same as if he was talking to an everyday friend. There was nothing that made him think that he'd ever fall in love with Kuroko.

 **You have 2 new messages!**  
From: Kuroko  
It's nothing.

From: Kuroko  
Want to go to the movies this weekend?

Kagami had to read the message three times before he replied. Saying no would possibly upset the boy, and he definitely didn't want to do that.

_Reply: Sure. Who will be there?_

SEND.

The reply came almost fifteen seconds after the message sent.

 **You have 1 new message!**  
From: Kuroko  
Just us.

Kagami felt the phone start to slip out of his hands. Kuroko wanted to go to the movie. With just him. No one else. Now everyone would definitely think they were dating. Well, it's not as if didn't like the idea himself.

He was always taught that you should date the person you'd want to marry. Then again, being only in high school for a short amount of time (and Japan), it wasn't so easy to know what you looked for in a future spouse. Who would be the one to get a job? Who'd want children and how many? Where would they want to live? Future occupations? Future universities?

All of those thoughts were foreign to the red head, and he was in no way prepared to think of his own answers. But he could easily think about Kuroko. The blue head would definitely want to get a job, most likely as a teacher (maybe for younger children, Kagami chuckled). He probably would want children, and maybe a few dogs too. He preferred to live in the suburbs, between the "country" land and the main cities. And as for further education, he most likely would just follow someone he was fond of and make it work there.

Kagami sighed as he realized that he knew more about Kuroko than he was comfortable with. He turned off his lamp and fell back onto his bed. He lightly tossed his phone onto the desk and shut his eyes.

The next few days, neither Kagami nor Kuroko made another physical approach towards each other. When they walked down the halls, their hands remained on their sides. Kagami could have sworn he saw the other boy reach for his hand at one point, but noticed that he was fixing his sleeves instead. It wasn't that he wanted to connect to the other boy. He just wanted to touch Kuroko sometimes, to remind himself that the boy was real and wasn't invisible. Sometimes he faded so well into the background that even Kagami had problems finding him. And it was at those points that he would find himself reaching for Kuroko's shoulder during class. The boy would turn around with a face that questioned why he was poked, but Kagami would just smile at him.

Riko started to get antsy herself. After seeing the two of them so close that night, she was almost positive that there was something going on. She didn't sneak on them (she didn't want to lose the trust of her team!), but she would look at them from the corner of her eye as they walked in the hall way. They were always together, except for the elective classes they took. However, Kagami would leave the classroom early and meet up with the other boy as they walked together to the main classroom. At once, she thought she saw Kuroko reach for Kagami's hand, but he continued moving his arm up and adjusted Kagami's sleeve.

It was an awkward moment that Saturday, when no one knew what was going on. Kagami had explained the situation to one of his female friends back in the States, but she couldn't give much advice. She had been with her boyfriend for a good four years, and they had begun their relationship after a trip to the movies. She thought that Kagami had found himself a beautiful girl and asked for pictures, until he told her about Kuroko.

"Oh, well then I guess you'd behave the same as you would for a girl. I don't know who'd treat who in this case however, so if you're feeling generous, I'd say you should do it. Don't wear anything too extravagant, but not too simple either." Kagami had to laugh as he thought of Kuroko wearing his white polo and jeans when he went on his "date" with Momoi. "Either way, tell me how it goes! Bye bye!"

Kagami left his apartment wearing a light jacket over a t-shirt, and dark jeans. He brought along a full wallet just in case the trip was more expensive than he thought. Sliding his phone into his pocket, he stretched and walked towards the meeting spot they had arranged.

Kuroko was sitting on a bench in front of the theatre, cell phone cradled in his hands. He had a yellow cardigan on which covered a black and white striped shirt. He was also wearing dark jeans. He looked up at Kagami and put his phone away. "Good afternoon Kagami-kun."

"Oh, good afternoon to you too." Kagami scratched the back of his head. "Should we go in…?"

"Yes, here's your ticket." Kuroko stood up and placed a ticket stub in his Kagami's hand. "We're seeing that movie, if it's okay with you." He pointed at a movie poster that was hanging on the side. "It's an action movie that was originally a book." Kagami danced inside; it was a book he was in love with. He had been so focused on his basketball training that he hadn't noticed a movie had been released. They headed inside and stopped by the concession stand.

"Do you want anything from here, Kuroko?" Kagami asked looking down at the boy. He noticed the blue eyes light up ever so slightly, and they looked straight ahead at the popcorn machine. "Ahaha, alright, I'll get some. One large tub of popcorn please!" He paid the cashier and gave the tub to Kuroko. "It's less expensive if we just get one. "

"But Kagami-kun, won't you eat the whole thing on your own?" Kuroko asked quietly. A fist was playfully rubbed in his hair. "Ow, Kagami-kun."

"Don't worry about me. I'll save some room for lunch later," He flashed a smile and Kuroko found himself smiling along (albeit a lot smaller and less noticeable)

"Thanks, Kagami-kun." Kuroko cradled the popcorn with one hand and reached for Kagami with the other. "Let's go." They walked into the theatre, receiving a few strange looks in the process.


	3. Milkshake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It gets cheesier

Inside the theatre, Kagami couldn't control himself from getting excited. The movie was amazing. It had all the right actors, the script was written perfectly, and the special effects didn't ruin the flow either. Kuroko looked up a few times during the action scenes and admired how Kagami's face lit up everytime the hero popped up. There were even some parts in which he caught Kagami citing the dialogue. After they left, Kagami had jumped in the air, yelling a few times about how awesome the movie was.

"Kagami-kun did enjoy it very much, I can tell by how much of the time he was on the edge of his seat." Kuroko hid his face in the empty popcorn carton after he realized what he had just said. Kagami would know that he was being watched the entire time instead of the movie. Luckily, he was dense enough to not realize the impact of what Kuroko had said.

"I did! It was awesome! I'm just so pumped right now!" As if on cue, his stomach had made the loudest rumble and he covered it with his hand, hoping that somehow that would get it to stop. "Ehe, maybe we should go get some food first?" Kuroko nodded and followed the red head out of the building.

They walked a few blocks and reached a small café. While there, Kuroko had ordered a vanilla smoothie (that was the closest they had to a vanilla milkshake), and Kagami ordered a few items off of the meal menu. They sat in silence for the most part, until Kagami decided to start talking about basketball. Kuroko could tell it was conversation to break the silence. All the questions he asked Kuroko he knew the answers to already. Still, the conversation happened and neither decided to end it. By the time they had finished and rested, the sun was beginning to set.

Walking out of the restaurant, Kuroko accidently bumped into someone. Standing in front of him was none other than Kise. Kagami felt himself jump in surprise and then he mentally began panicking. He knew that Kise had some sort of feelings towards Kuroko so it would be no surprise if his jealousy kicked in immediately and he accused Kagami of stealing his little Kurokocchi from him. But wait, why were these feelings popping up? He didn't feel that way about Kuroko, right…?

"Kagamicchi! Kurokocchi!" Kise jumped towards the two of them, arms stretched out wide. Kuroko simply moved an inch to the side and avoided the lunge, but Kagami wasn't as lucky. Kise was wrapped around him babbling about how much he had missed them and how they should play a game again and how they should get getter together, and so on. Kuroko simply tapped Kise's shoulder and the blonde let go. "Ahhhh, I'm sorry!"

"It's all good," Kagami muttered while fixing his shirt. "So, what are you doing here?"

Right down to business, Kise thought. "Well, I'm here with Midorimacchi since he's looking for a lucky object for Takao, and I guess he doesn't like to be alone or something." Kise did a little I-don't-really-care shrug and looked at his phone. "Though he is rather late with coming to get me. I do hope he hasn't forgotten that we came together." He sighed and looked at the sky. "So what are you two doing?"

Kagami raised his shoulders and prepared to speak but Kuroko silently jabbed him in the stomach. Instantly shutting up, Kagami looked down at the blue head in slight anger. "Kagami-kun and I were looking at a move that we had to watch for one of our classes. A lot of the other students were busy today so we figured we could get it done as quickly as possible to finish out report." Kuroko lied, smoothly.

Kise raised an eyebrow in a noncondensing manner and placed both hands on his sides. "Is that so… alright then…. Oh! There's Midorimacchi! Bye guys! Have fun!" Kise ran off, hand waving at the two of them. Kuroko raised his slightly and waved, and Kagami just pouted. That jab was going to leave a bruise. He began mentally preparing himself for the pain that was going to come from it. And he started thinking. What if he had spoke? What if for the quickest moment, he made a slip and ruined any kind of friendship he had with either Kuroko or Kise? What if…

"Kagami-kun?"

A small hand was placed on his face, most likely in an effort to bring him back to reality. "You were spacing out. I thought something had happened." There was a stillness and Kagami could have sworn that he was about to die from the sheer amount of beauty that was in that single moment.

It was likened to looking at the Arctic lights, or maybe watching a baby animal reunite with their mother. All he knew was that he had felt himself get completely captivated by blue. BLUE. One of the last colors of the rainbow. The color of daytime. The color of water. The color of cold. And for the first time in Kagami's life, the color of love. Without hesitation, or even knowing what he was doing, he knelt down and silently kissed Kuroko. He didn't care about the onlookers. He didn't care about the classmates who might have seen him. He didn't care about anything else. Because for the first time, he felt like he had just done something right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See, very cheesy


	4. Soda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit shorter than the others. Good thing you don't have to wait on an update ;D

School had come back again, and things seemed to be back to normal, or whatever was deemed to be normal anyways. Kagami and Kuroko had returned to their normal routine during class and after. Neither one was one to overreact over a scenario such as their movie night. Well, not in the presence of other people, anyhow. There were a few times when they would sit together outside and Kuroko would sneak his arm around Kagami's and they'd sit like that until it was time to return to class. During practice (or what would be considered practice), Kagami couldn't keep his concentration. He found himself losing focus whenever Kuroko got too close to him. It wasn't as if he didn't enjoy the feeling, but he knew that he couldn't keep the charade up for long.

He knew that this was going to happen, and that was exactly why he tried to keep his distance from relationships until he was in a good university. With basketball on his mind, it'd be hard to focus on another person, let alone himself. He realized with a blunt realization at Maji one time that he might have had it wrong all this time. Even with or without basketball in his head, Kuroko was still there. If he thought about basketball, he thought about Kuroko playing against him. And when he thought about food, he thought about Kuroko making it. And if he thought about being in the states, he thought about Kuroko sitting in the plane next to him.

Looking at the boy, he felt as if a giant boulder had fallen on him. Did he, actually have feelings for him?! He quickly pushed his seat back in such a force that he almost fell backwards. Kuroko, shocked, stood up almost immediately and grabbed Kagami's hand. The chair clattered to the ground and Kuroko pulled Kagami onto his own two feet.

"Are you okay?" He asked the redhead. There was a nod and the chair was brought back to a sitting position. People around them murmered and a worker came over and asked if everything was alright. Kuroko nodded and was handed a towel to clean some of the mess up.

Kagami tried drowning his thoughts with his soda which only resulted in an intense brainfreeze. "Are you okay?" Kuroko asked, milkshake straw in his mouth.

"Of course I'm okay," Kagami replied through gritted teeth. "Only a few bruises, public embarrassment, and now brainfreeze. It's all good."

"Kagami-"

"I'm going home. I'll see you tomorrow." The red head grabbed his bag and left the restaurant in what appeared to be anger. Kuroko sat alone in a state of confusion and sadness. He looked solemly down at his milkshake and sighed. He looked out the window and watched as Kagami slowly faded out of sight.

"Oi, Kurokocchi!" A hand was quickly dropped on the blue head and Kuroko felt a tingle go up his spine. He REALLY didn't want to see Kise right now. "soooo, you and that hot head have been getting closer, haven't you?" Kise stated snarkly, a finger jabbed at Kuroko's forehead. "First the move, then lunch, now dinner…"

"We always eat here, it's nothing special." Kuroko pushed Kise's hand away and stood up. Kagami was probably already home by now. He was hoping to catch up after about a minute, but there was the case of the minor distraction. He picked up his bags and took a few steps from the table, before Kise grabbed his arm.

"You can always come to me, Kurokocchi if you need any help on the matter." Kise winked.

"What matter?" Kuroko looked up, blue eyes widened in curiosity.

"The matter that you love him."


	5. Spilled Shake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kise is an ass

"Kise-kun, you didn't happen to hit your head on the way here, right?" Kuroko asked, his hand on Kise's head examining for any bumps or bruises.

"Of course not!" He pushed the smaller boy's hand away. "But what I did do was think about what's going on between you and Kagami."

"There's nothing goi-"

"You're such a liar!" Kise spoke loudly. Kuroko shrunk in his chair a bit. Now everyone is going to be looking at us, he thought worriedly. "Listen, you think you're great at lying but you're not, I can see right through you. There's no way you're going to tell me that you were actually doing a class assignment at the theatre. I mean, I'm pretty sure if you were, there would've been more people. And then to leave the movie and get some food together? Sounds like a date to me."

"A lot of people go to the movies and eat together," Kuroko responded solemnly.

"Yes, but while they do, they don't go about holding each other's hands." Kise smiled. He took pleasure in the reaction he got from Kuroko. The boy was clearly struggling to keep calm and was beginning to fail at it. "Listen, I'm not going to go tell everyone, especially, you know, your Aomine."

"He's not my Aomine," Kuroko looked up at Kise, a glint in his eyes that could only be read as anger.

"Ahhh, I guess he's not," Kise laughed nervously. "But even so, don't worry about it. I'm not going to reveal your entire secret to everyone."

"There is no secret though. Plus, I'm sure that even if you did tell everyone, they wouldn't believe it."

"What do you mean? You and Kagamicchi are always together, so there's no way to deny that. Plus, I'm pretty sure that a decent amount of students in your class already think the two of you are together. If I go around telling everyone that I saw you two leaving the theatre and later holding hands, I'm pretty sure they'd believe me." Kise waved a finger. "But, I promise I won't tell anyone anything, as long as you promise me something in exchange." He got out of the chair and turned, as if walking away.

"Wait! What do you want me to promise you?" Kuroko asked.

"Don't tell anyone about me and Aomine," he spoke, looking at Kuroko with the same glint in his eye the boy had shown him earlier. Turning, he walked out of Maji, waving good bye to the waitress. Kuroko didn't watch him leave, instead he kept his eyes fixated on the vanilla shake he spilled in shock. Sitting there, he tried to understand his feelings, but it was too confusing. Was he angry? Was he upset? Or happy?

 _I don't deserve Aomine anyways, Kise-kun is a much better person than I can ever be,_ he thought, laying his head down onto the table. _And now I have Kagami-kun who is taking care of me and makes me feel as happy as Aomine did, if not, even more. But why, why do I feel so sad?_ He looked at the spilled shake and shut his eyes. Oh well, there wasn't nothing to do about it now but to just let it pass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I'm on tumblr for immediate response/questions :p


	6. Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whose your favorite character so far?

School returned and Kuroko had tried to forget about what had happened with him and Kagami. He knew that there was some yearning to be with each other, but he had to tell himself that he had to brush it off. _It was nothing; we were probably just excited from the situation and didn't think thoroughly enough,_ Kuroko thought to himself. He sat down in his seat and sighed. _The kiss probably didn't mean anything either... I'm an idiot_ , Kuroko placed his head on the table. _I shouldn't have let my feelings get in the way of what was most important to me. All I should worry about is making Kagami number one, I shouldn't worry about any-_

"Hey," a hand was placed on the boy's shoulders. Startled, he picked up his head and was met with Kagami's face. "What's up? You look more quiet than normal."

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just really tired," Kuroko gave a very faint smile. It was partially true, he had stayed up most of the night thinking.

"Okay. Hey, I just want to thank you for coming with me this weekend, even though you were the one who invited me," he nervously laughed and scratched his head. "Maybe we can do it again sometime?"

"S-sure," Kuroko nodded. "Is it okay if I choose what to do?"

"I don't mind," Kagami flashed a smile. He went over to his desk and prepared himself for class. Kuroko mentally slapped himself. You weren't supposed to say yes, you idiot!

School ended for the day and Kuroko had to nearly run out of the room so that Kagami couldn't catch up with him. He didn't even go to practice and went straight home. He threw open the front door and ran into his bedroom. Tetsu #2 followed him, curious. He watched as the boy flopped onto his bed and let out the largest sigh the dog had ever heard. Kuroko looked at the dog and held his hand out, letting the dog lick it.

"Why do I always seem to make a mistake, Tetsu? No matter where I am, I always seem to mess up. Is it because I'm still not thinking things through? I mean, first the whole thing with Aomine, and now with Kagami. I just think in the moment and don't think about anything else that could affect me."

The dog cocked its head and whined, leading Kuroko to lift the dog off the ground and hold it up in the air. "Maybe I am overthinking this. Maybe it isn't my fault and it's Kagami's…" He turned onto his side and placed the dog next to him. "I don't know…" Kuroko shut his eyes and drifted off.

 

_BEEP. ._

 

Kuroko snapped awake and reached for his phone. He read the screen in a daze and grunted as he turned back over. He placed it back onto the pillow and fell back asleep. Tetsu #2 went over to the phone and whined. Across the screen was a simple text:

**You have 1 new Message!**  
From Kagami:  
I'm downstairs, let me in?

The dog barked and ran out of the room to the front door. Using his nose, he managed to unlock the door and the clicking sound alerted Kagami that the door had been opened. Slowly opening the door, the red head tried not to get too close to the dog and entered the house, locking the door behind. "Kuroko, where are you?" Kagami whispered. The dog whined and ran up the stars, making sure that Kagami was behind him. "Kuroko?" He walked as they approached the bedroom. Kuroko was asleep on the bed, cell phone in his hand. "Hey, it's still the afternoon, why are you still sleeping?" He walked over to the bed and knocked over a bottle of water that was on the floor, which spilled all over Tetsu. The dog growled at Kagami who lost his balance in fear and landed on the bed. "Oops," Kagami whispered while moving himself away. However, Kuroko, in his sleep, reached for the redhead and wrapped his arms around him. "No, no, no," Kagami tried resisting but the bluenette was holding on too tightly, and he was afraid that if he moved off the bed, Kuroko would fall.

Tetsu #2 licked Kagami's hand and he instantly clung closer to Kuroko. Well, this was going to be something he'd had to explain.


	7. No Dinner?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isn't #2 just the greatest at making your ship sail?

Kuroko opened his eyes dazingly, trying to make out the time on his clock. He turned his head and was met with a head of red hair. "Hm!" He sat up shockingly, knocking his phone off the bed. "Ka-Kagami-kun!"

"It's about time you woke up!" Kagami sat up as well and faced him. "I couldn't leave because of your stupid dog, and you were grabbing onto me for dear life! Can I finally leave? I've been here for hours!"

Kuroko looked down at the phone he had just received from the side of the bed, and sighed. "I'm sorry Kagami-kun. I didn't answer your text. But how did you get in? Are you a creeper and climbed in my room?" He crossed his arms.

"No! That dog of yours opened the door for me! I thought you were sick or something so I was worried!" Kagami placed his hands on the other's shoulders.

"I'm fine, Kagami-kun. I was just tired is all. I couldn't really sleep much these last few days." He placed his head on Kagami's hands. "I thought that you'd get worried if I passed out in class, or if I went to the nurses office, so I thought it'd be best for me to come straight here."

"Hmmm, I understand. But still, I was worried. You didn't even go to practice, so I was hoping that I'd find you here." Kagami leaned over and kissed the boy on the forehead. It was then that he realized exactly WHERE he was, and he panicked. "OH! I'm sorry for intruding. I'll get heading back then!" He jumped up and got off the bed, runing to the front door. He didn't hear the other boy's footsteps behind him until he was on the bottom step and felt a pair of arms embrace him from behind.

"Please don't leave Kagami-kun," he spoke into the red hair. Standing two steps above, he was just barely above the red head. "I don't want to be alone again."

"Alone? Don't you have family here?" He turned to face Kuroko, who sadly shook his head.

"As of now, I live by myself. My family lives in a different part of town. It was easier for me to move out than to live in a house cramped in with the rest of them." Kuroko removed his hands from Kagami's waist and placed them on his shoulders instead. "So, it's just me and Tetsu."

"I understand." Kagami looked down at the ground before looking up at the boy's face. "Come over to my place, you can stay over for a few days."

"Are you sure? I don't want to intrude," Kuroko spoke softly, placing his hands on his sides. "I can pay you-"

"No, no. This is out of good will. You're welcome to stay as long as you want okay? I have enough room and I don't mind cooking, so long as you help with the cleaning and laundry." Kagami couldn't believe the words that were comin out of his mouth, but he didn't regret them at all. "Just pack up some clothes and we can head over."

Kuroko nodded and ran back up the stairs. Kagami took the oppurtunity to take a lookd around the house. Despite their being two floors, the bottom floor was very small, having only a attached living room and kitchen that could fit only a single person. He felt himself taking up much of the room when he entered the kitchen and gave himself a cup of water. "Kagami-kun?"

"Hm?" He turned and saw Kuroko stading by the door with a bag slung over his shoulder.

"Is it okay for Tetsu to come? I don't want to leave him behind..." He looked down at the dog.

"Sure. I don't want you to leave him alone in the house. It'll be pretty lonely." He smiled as the boy turned to open the door. "I'll show you the day."

The two of them headed out to the walk to Kagami's house, and the red head was susprised at how dark it had already become. They had passed by some people, but none of them recognized their faces. Kagami was partially thankful, he couldn't imagine what people would think if they saw the two of them walking together to Kagami's house. But then, he realized that they would find out either way when they would walk back after school together.

"Kagami-kun, do you think we can get some dinner when we get there? Im hungry?" The bluenette turned his head.

"Sure! I'm pretty hungry myself," he half laughed.

"Thank you."

"Yea," Kagami looked down at the boy, a slight flush across his face. He waited until the smaller had faced foward to extend his arm just slightly so that his fingers grazed against Kuroko's. Moments passed before he felt the smaller hand open up, and allowed Kagami's hand to envelope it. They walked back to the house, hands attached and Kuroko leaning against Kagami's shoulder.

"Kagami-kun?"

"Hm?"

"I..I think I like you."

Kagami leaned down and kissed the other very lightly the lips. "I think I like you too."

"That's good. Can we get milkshakes for dessert?"

"Of course.


	8. Hot Chocolate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cue the cold weather and hot beverages. And blanket forts.

Days has passed, and things became difficult. Kuroko and Kagami had tried to prevent the rest of school knowing what was going on between them, but it was becoming harder and harder with each passing day. They had to stop themselves from holding hands after school, or meeting up too often at each other's house. But at times, Kagami couldn't help but send a smile during class whenever Kuroko caught his eye.

They were by no means like what Kagami had thought they'd be. When Kuroko confessed (and when Kagami realized his feelings), Kagami decided to ask around online (through a newly made, and falsified, email account) about what resources to use to learn about relationships between two males. He was directed numerous times to online manga which he decided to look through. He was overwhelmed and embarrassed by how many sex scenes he found within the books, never actually showing the everyday trials that people went through. Kagami was more concerned about trivial things, like if there was some sort of social standard in which one person would be designated as the "woman" and took on more female roles (which he later discovered was a concept that was rude and remembered to never look at another same sex couple in that manner again). But all he kept finding was that in nearly all the pages he skimmed through, there was nearly always a sex scene after the confession.

Kagami wasn't scared of sex; he felt that it just wasn't the right approach to take. When Kuroko had confessed, there was no sexual tension in the air. Neither of them were waiting to jump the other as soon as they went into the house, and Kagami was fine if anyone else was like that, but he and Kuroko definitely weren't. So then, how were they?

Kuroko was waiting for Kagami after classes, at their usual meeting spot. Colored leaves blew in the crisp autumn air, and Kuroko suppressed a shiver. He adjusted his bag and sighed. He wasn't feeling particularly thrilled for the cold weather, and it was going to take a while before his house had the heating set up.

"Oi," a hand was placed on Kuroko's head and he barely moved. "You look cold."

"I am aware, Kagami-kun. The weather is cold," Kuroko let his head fall forward so that it was against Kagami's chest. "Can we go somewhere warm?"

"We can head back to my place if you'd like. The heat is already on and it's nice and cozy."

I'd like that," Kuroko lifted his head and began walking away. Kagami smiled and followed behind. There was a rustle in the leaves and Riko peered her head out.

"Hmmm, this is rather peculiar, wouldn't you say, Junpei?"

"You mean the fact that you're spying on your own team right now just to fufill your desires?" His response was met with a smack to the face.

"They are not desires! I'm just curious to see what they're up to! They haven't been able to keep focus during practice and even during classes they keep looking at each other!" Riko exclaimed in frustration.

"Just let it be then," Hyuuga half laughed. But he knew that Riko wasn't going to give up, and so he followed her when they walked towards the direction of Kagami's house. By the time they arrived, Kuroko and Kagami had already situated themselves in the living room. They had placed their books across the center table as they studied. Riko and Hyuuga hid below the window which Kagami had left open a crack.

"So we came all this way, and they're studying?" Riko whispered.

"well I mean, I don't know what you're really expecting them to be doing.." Hyuga sighed and began to walk away. Riko clenched her teeth and looked back into the room and watched as Kagami got up and left the room, ruffling Kuroko's hair as he walked out. She sighed again before opening up her cell phone and texting Hyuga about how cold and alone she was. Within seconds he was back, and sat next to her.

Inside of the house, Kagami had entered the kitchen. He prepared some hot chocolate and made sure to put some milk inside of Kuroko's. He placed them on the table and grunted when he noticed how much he studying he had to do. "I really don't wanna do this," he groaned.

"But if Kagami-kun doesn't study, he won't get good grades, or a good school." Kuroko stated flatly, while scribbling down some answers. He took a sip of his hot chocolate, and for a split second Kagami thought he had seen surprise flash across the boy's face.

"Ahh fine. I'll be back though, I'm going to get some blankets from upstairs. It's chilly for some reason." He left and Kuroko was left at the table. Kuroko held his cup to his lips and he sniffed the drink. He smiled to himself, and went back to studying. Kagami came back with a handful of blankets, which he seemed to be struggling with. He placed some on the floor and the grabbed two from the pile. "This is for you," he placed one on Kuroko which landed flat on his head. "And this is for me."

"Ahh no fair, Kagami-kun got the softer one."

"Well I mean, this is my house." Kuroko rested his chin on the table and gave Kagami a false pout. Kagami looked at him for a few seconds before attempting to ignore the eyes that were focused on him. He tried to avert his attention but gave up almost instantly. "Alright, alright! You can have it." He held out the blanket before seeing Kuroko shake his head. "what now?"

"Can you put it around me? I don't want to mess it up and I'm afraid it'll be so big that I'll drown in it."

"Argh, fine," Kagami tried to sound annoyed but couldn't resist the cute tone that Kuroko had adopted to get his way. He stood up and went over to Kuroko, and draped the blanket around him. Is that better?

"Yes it is Kagami-kun. Also can you come here, I have a secret for you." Kuroko situated the blanket further.

"Hmm?" Kagami tilted his head, curious. He leaned down and Kuroko kissed him on cheek.

"Thank you, Kagami-kun. Also, can we not study anymore? I'm too tired."

"Uh, sure.." The red head ruffled his own hair in confusion. First Kuroko wanted to study, and now he wanted to do the opposite. His own mind threw up a red flag but he mentally swatted it away. He didn't want to think about the scenarios he read in those manga, nor did he even want to think of doing that with Kuroko…as of yet.

"-movie?"

"Hm? Oh, sorry, I was lost in thought."

"I wanted to know if you wanted to watch a movie on TV?"

"Sure, sure. " They situated themselves on the couch, with a blanket draped around them. They had found a comedic action movie and ignored the studies they had left to the side. Kagami suddenly grew nervous and uncomfortable. He noticed that he was in a vulnerable position, and that it would be difficult for him to get out in case anything happened. This was his house afterall. Then he relaxed, realizing that Kuroko was not that kind of person. He reached around Kuroko's shoulder and waited for the other boy to offer his hand up.

They held on to each other for a few minutes, not changing positions. The movie played and despite all the jokes and snarky comments, neither Kuroko nor Kagami changed expressions. Suddenly, Kagami shifted and Kuroko turned to him. They held their gaze for a second before gradually moving closer. Kuroko hesitated for a moment and Kagami backed off ever so slightly, making sure he had permission. When he was sure he was good, he softly brought his lips upon Kuroko's. They broke contact after some time with a smile on both of their faces.

Outside, Riko was nearly losing it. She was trying not to yell but was finding it hard not to. She clumsily ran from the house, Hyuga behind her. "They're together?! They're actually dating?!"

"Calm down, Coach, I didn't think you'd be so upset over this!" Hyuuga reached for her shoulder, but she turned abruptly.

"Oh ho ho, I'm not upset," she smiled devilishly. "Quite the contrary."

"Oh dear," Hyuga spoke weakly. He followed Riko as they walked back home.

"Oh, so that's why it's so cold, the window was open," Kagami walked over and shut it. "There ya go, now, back to studying!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this concludes my session and just putting in old material. I'll attempt to continue writing this soon. I swear, I just need to find a friend to bribe me to get me to write more of this more often Dx


	9. Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's cold and

Kuroko insisted that they went on another date before basketball took over their lives again, and Kagami had to give in. It was freezing when they met up, and Kuroko was on his third day of a bad cold. Kagami didn’t want to leave for town knowing that Kuroko was sick, but the bluenette didn’t want to give up. They had a few stores to hit, primarily clothing ones. They needed extra clothes to bundle up in, and Kagami had stated more than once that his favorite (and only) sweater had large holes in it. Kuroko refused to let his boyfriend (was it right to call him that?) wear the sweater out in public so a shopping trip was necessary.

They had taken a bus to the shopping area, and the stores were lit up with lights and holiday music. Christmas was only a few weeks away, but people were in full shopping mode. Kuroko only wanted to buy clothes, but he couldn’t pick up a shirt without being shoved. And since no one noticed him, it made it even harder to shop comfortably. 

“You’ve gotta be careful, people are going to step all over you if you don’t watch out,” Kagami spoke, holding a bag in his hand. “Also your nose is starting to drip again.” He reached into his pocket and took out one of the many tissues he was holding. Kuroko gratefully took the tissue and blew into it and at that point, Kagami was grateful that Kuroko didn’t make those honking noises some people made when blowing their nose.

Kuroko thanked him and continued shopping. They made it through the second store no problem, but come the fourth one, Kuroko was coughing every few seconds. Kagami had to buy water for him because he was afraid the boy was about to go into a fit of dry heaving. 

“I think that’s enough shopping for today,” Kagami spoke while holding all of the bags. Kuroko was bundled up, but he was still shivering. “Besides, anymore of this and you’ll end up with a fever.” 

“Kagami-kun cares about me?” Kuroko looked up at his tall friend. 

“Of course I care about you!” Kagami grumbled to himself. “If I didn’t then I wouldn’t be carrying all of these tissues for you. Or holding all these bags.” 

“Thanks Kagami-kun. Can we stop for some tea before we go back? It’ll warm me up,” Kuroko looked up again, and Kagami nodded. 

“You’re going to be incredibly tired after all of this, you know,” Kagami spoke as if he were talking to a child. Kuroko quickly jabbed him in the side, earning a grunt in response. “What the hell was that for?!”

“For thinking I’m unable to handle a quick shopping trip,” Kuroko sniffled. His nose had turned pink in contrast to his pale skin. He lowered his hat so that it covered his ears which were also turning a shade of red. 

“Alright then, Mr.-I-Can-Handle-Everything. We can get tea, so long as you stop injuring me.” Kagami rubbed his side, pretending that the other boy had hurt him. “But no more kissing or hand holding until you get over this cold.”

The last statement made something inside of Kuroko snap and he turned to look at Kagami. “None at all?”

“Nope, nothing until you feel better.”

“You’re horrible, Kagami-kun.” Kuroko pouted and walked ahead of Kagami to the tea shop.

“Not at all, I just care about you,” Kagami snickered behind him.

**Author's Note:**

> Have thoughts and want to contact me immediately? Find me at alcemistnv on tumblr c:


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